St. James, the Apostle (The Younger)

Son of Alphaeus

Feast Day: May 3rd

Novena: Day 1

Oh Saint James, you were our Lord’s cousin and at the same time his friend and follower. You wrote that “every good and perfect gift comes to us from the Father of lights,” and that “faith without works is useless”. You preached the divinity of Jesus until your death as a martyr. Obtain for us from the Father of lights the great gift of a living faith in Jesus’ divinity which will inspire us to unstinting labor in the service of God and our fellow human beings and enable us to reach our heavenly destiny.

You were a pillar of the church in Jerusalem, uniting your flock around the essentials of the ancient faith, and praying for their forgiveness in the temple when they failed. Tradition teaches that your knees became as hard as camels’ knees from long hours of prayer. Help me to pray more fervently, and to see my defects more clearly. Pray for me during this novena, especially for …

(mention silently your special intentions).1

Pray:Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be. Amen.